


How I Met You

by Enjelica (orphan_account)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Middle School, Detention, Fluff, Hamilton is Bi, Henry won't be a conplete jerk because my child deserves better, I couldn't think of a title rip, John's POV, M/M, Mild transphobia in chapter 2, first fanfic give me a break, i'll tag more as needed, im a mess, john is ace and gay, oneshot? multiple chapters? who who knows, well mostly fluffy idk yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-10-14 01:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10526043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Enjelica
Summary: John Laurens, a middle-school student trying knock some sense into his conservative school, lands himself into detention. Alexander Hamilton, inspired by Laurens, also gets into detention. Awkwardness ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fix and I really don't know where it's going so I would really appreciate if you told me what you liked about it, what you would like to see, and if there are any spelling/grammatical errors. This was originally submitted to a_mind_at_work's Tumblr (undiscoveredstory) as a Christmas gift to someone, and Jessie is awesome check her out. Anyway, here we go!

Silence. That’s all that accompanied John whilst in detention, not even the clichéd tick-ticking of a clock. How did he land himself a spot here you might ask? Well, his school had recently decided that transgender students would be forced to use restrooms that correlate to their gender assigned at birth. John would not have any of it. Being a closeted asexual and being gay, any LGBTQ+ discrimination would not be allowed to poison his resovoir of thoughts.  
After deciding to stand up to this ruling, he decided that if he were to go down he would go down memorably so at least when recounting this tale to his father, which will most likely not have a positive outcome on account of his father being strict on a good school record and highly LGBTQ-phobic, it would be an interesting one. The only problem was how could hid message reach the student body? What even was his message?. Then it hit him.  
Come fifth period, lunch, he climbed on top of an abandoned lunch table and screamed the familiar lyrics from RENT, passionately pumping his fist in the air in rhythm, “ANARACHY! REVOLUTION! JUSTICE SCREAMING FOR SOLUTION! FORCING CHANGES! RISKING DANGERS! MAKING NOISE AND MAKING PLEAS!”, though vague, it would spark a rebellious incentive throughout the school, besides, the students knew exactly what he was referring to considering it’s controversial matter. He was promptly ordered to get off the table, be quiet, and attend detention all this week. Was it worth it? Yes, he would say so, because ripples were already visible- no not ripples, sparks, sparks that needed to be fanned into a flame, a flame that would engulf the school and force change. These sparks, you ask? No longer than two class periods later copies of an essay supporting John’s claim was posted all throughout the school, not your normal two-page essay that was required during middle school, but ten pages. Ten. Whole. Pages. In an hour and a half. John was astonished and quickly got to work doodling himself fist in the air on the table on all of the essays.  
It was weird, because it seemed as though the kid had not been caught, it wasn’t written anonymously, no, in bold letters near the top lay the name “Alexander Hamilton”. It was a name John vaguely recognized as the school newspaper writer who bravely came out as bi in this conservative school, but besides that he couldn’t put a face to the name or know his personality, well he could infer it was audacious if his bold strokes of ink on this blank paper of a school were any indication.  
Well, couldn’t but a face to the name until now, when the door opened and fifteen minutes late strode in who he presumed to be Alexander Hamilton. Oh John was doomed. Despite wearing jeans with holes in them and converse falling apart at the soles, he was breathtaking. From his shoulder-length and shiny dark hair pulled into a tight half-ponytail, to his olive skin, to black nail polish gracing his fingernails, John couldn’t stop staring. Oh god he was staring. John's eyes that were previously transfixed flicked down to the desk in front of him as Alexander took the seat next to him.  
Alexander smiled with a look of admiration and smugness at what they both did, a smile so simply beautiful that made him self-conscious to reveal his braces - clad teeth, before introducing himself as: “Alexander Hamilton, you can call me Alex, Alexander, or Hamilton, or whatever other nickname you can pull out of the air into a tangible form. I presume you’re John Laurens? I wrote the essays you see posted around, my cry for equality. Sorry if I’m speaking a lot, I tend to do that, but you can probably guess that from the speed and length of my writing. Anway….” 

John zoned out after that, it was good Alex didn’t give him a word in edgewise, he wouldn’t have been able to mutter the most incompetent of phrases. He was falling. Falling fast. And hoping his landing would be into Alexander’s arms and not the hard ground below.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John begins to brainstorm ways to access Alexander and confronts his father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update, I was a little clueless on where I wanted this fic to go, but that doesn't matter now because the latest installment is here!
> 
> Before we start though, go check out my friend friskthefandom who is cross-posting her hamilton fic "Into the Past" on here and wattpad, it's great and I love it.
> 
>  
> 
> PS: bonus points if you find my that would be enough and satisfied references

John dreaded the next day of detention shearly for fear that he could zone out and stare again. If he had any chance just _being friends _with this whirlwind of a person, much less be _his boyfriend _, he had to actually engage himself. But how to get the attention of someone who never stops talking and writing and creating worlds far more idealistic and beautiful than this one? Well, you do just that, you write, you create, and you match his wits.____

____John walked home, sneaking through the back door in an attempt to avoid his father, and slinking up the back staircase slowly while clutching his backpack, holding his breath with anticipation and to reduce the fragment of noise it would produce. If he was caught, he would have to face enough disappointment just for being detention, not to mention his motives and the anger that would come to fruition at the mention of those. That was a concersation he did not want to manifest. So, he shuffles up the stairs, careful not to hit the squeaking spots and not to let the zippers on his backpack jingle. Once he reached the top of the stairs, which in reality didn't take that long but felt like scaling a mountain, he stood up to full height and looked down the hallway. Bathroom door: open. Master bedroom door: open. His bedroom door: closed. Exactly what he wanted, his father wasn't upstairs and the privacy of the oasis that is his room was not breached. He took a deep breath and exhaled for the first time since he got home and walked down the hallway like normal, open and closed the door carefully not to make a ruckus, and flopped down on his bed._ _ _ _

____While brainstorming on what exactly he would write (having never really sat down to write besides school, he was clueless where to start and what style suited him) he absently mindedly sketched in his sketchbook-turned notebook for this use. He knew it would be something powerful (or at least he hoped) and political, because what else would you write after already landing in detention for exactly that, it didn't faze him anymore. He decided on just writing a supporting essay for Alexander’s, a sister essay, partner-in-crime, duo, inseparable idea, whatever you wanted to call it. It was quite fitting and symbolic figuring he wanted to be the other half of Alexander._ _ _ _

____Sitting down to write he knew his essay would be significantly shorter, just summarize, support, and elaborate on Alexander's points. “My fellow students and whomever else might happen to be reading this,” he started already surprised at his formality and eloquence- ways he didn't know he could spin a web of words. He continued to scrawl out words and an even pace and was a few paragraphs in when-_ _ _ _

____“Jack? Are you in there?”, a muffled question floated through the door after a few knocks._ _ _ _

____John walked over and opened the door, ready for defeat, his father wouldn't ever hurt him, just be disgruntled and disappointed. John hated being a disappointment._ _ _ _

____“I noticed you haven't spoken to me since you got home and who-knows-what-time because you didn't come in through the front door. Can you please explain?”, Henry started taking an apprehensive approach._ _ _ _

____“I-”, John looked down, “I… uh… was in detention”, his voice lifted up at the end like the lilt of a question, as if he was unsure of his whereabouts._ _ _ _

____“Good Lord Jack! Why were you in detention! I thought I raised you right and not to be one of those rabble-rousing delinquents!”, and there it was, the not-quite-anger, not-quite-disappointment._ _ _ _

____John had a feeling that inside his father wanted best for him, but didn't have the means to express that. At least he hoped so, he hoped the put-downs and sighs weren't intentional and rather miscommunication between intention and action._ _ _ _

____John took a deep breath of preparation, and spoke, rather articulately, “Well I spoke up against the latest school board ruling by using a thinly-veiled call for anarchy via the musical RENT on top of a lunch table. It may not have been the best way to handle the situation and was definitely not as eloquent as I wanted, but I got my point across I already have a student on my side fighting with me. You taught me to stand for my beliefs and while nine differ from yours I will defend them until death, and if that includes doing something maybe not so morally correct at the expense of my school record so be it.” John exhaled, hoping his father understood._ _ _ _

____Henry Laurens blinked, then responded, slightly confused and annoyed, “You're defending the trans kids?”_ _ _ _

____“My God Dad maybe listen to me for once and you'd understand and realise the help these kids need and how they're not evil”, John spit the words out bitterly wishing his father would sit down give him an ear and understand. He wished he could change his father's views so they could get along better, he wish his father would be accepting enough to support him coming out, but who knows if that would ever happen._ _ _ _

____Henry’s eyes softened after John spoke and he stood frozen and contemplative for a second and took a deep breath while coming to a conclusion: he would have to listen to his son._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a nice break from Henry Laurens being a completly awful father right?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry gets a mini lgbtq lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some day I will be able to stick to a schedule but apparently not right now because I intended to upload this a week ago but ended up only writing half, sorry

Henry slowly turned around, quietly exiting the room, leaving the door resting on the door jam, but not completely closed. A sort of air was left in his wake that suggested his business was not yet finished here. This action caused John confusion. And fear. And hope? John had expected that his father would argue, bicker with him until both of them were a boiling and raging hurricane, scorching all those unfortunately lying in its tumultuous path, fighting that would leave them in a state of ignoring the other and living as though their house has halved and they inhabit it in solitary. But that hadn’t happened. He just left, no fight put up no argument made, no refutes forming in the back of his mind. While erasing the immediate threat of a fight, it left the opportunity for another later. What if he had just left to recuperate, form his opinions and arguments and come back to voice them? What if John was wrong entirely, maybe his father left as a form of stalemate or even surrender? He hoped it was surrender, that his father left with the realization that his whole life opinions had major, major, flaws. Maybe he had finally lit a spark in his father's mind, one that was perceptive to growth.

John’s rambling monologue was abruptly cut off by the door opening again, he tensed, fearing for the worst. His father had never laid a hand on him, more disgruntled than abusive, but he didn’t know what could happen in the heat of a moment. Henry entered the room, he had taken his tie and jacket off, now having his button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows and was holding a plate of apple slices and a water bottle in each hand, respectively. He pulled up a chair near the bed and handed John the food.

“I thought you might want something to eat since you haven't since you got home”, Henry near-mumbled, expression still indiscernible enough that John didn't know what he was in for yet. 

John reluctantly settled in and are a few of the apple slices, still glancing apprehensively up at his father every so often. It they continued on in awkward and dragged silence disturbed only by the sounds of John eating.

“Look Jack, I… I don't agree with you right now, but I want to, and I really do, I want to understand and relate to you it's just… hard. I've come so far in life with one mindset ingrained with me from birth: boys are boys. Girls are girls. Boys marry girls and girls marry boys. I understand that the world is changing and I've realised maybe the way I view it should too.”, Henry broke the silence not hesitating to get to the point.

John stared up in shock, this was the best possible is scenario and he never expected it. His father wanted to listen. To him. And his views. He wanted to understand through away his bigoted ideology. He cleared his throat, and started, wondering how to tackle this mountain of a task. He guessed he should start with the absolute basics and can explain more later on.

“Well, you probably know this part, but some people are gay and some are straight, and both are completely ok and uncontrollable. There are also people who experience multiple gender attraction or a lack of attraction, either romantic or sexual, but that’s not what concerns the policy at school currently. Right now, their targeting trans kids, AKA transgender kids, people who identify differently than their gender assigned at birth. Gender doesn’t equal sex, gender- and sex even but I don’t need to get into that now, is a social construct, it's in your head, the role you want to play in society it doesn’t exist one way or another because of how your body looks. Now as for trans identities there are the binary ones, girl and boy, and then there are a slew of nonbinary identities- not, or at least not completely girl or boy, and.. Uh.. I think that's the basics or at least enough of it, I don’t want to go on more of a tangent than I have and I don’t think I have to explain the policy and why it's a problem… um.. Yeah.”, John spoke rapidly as if all in one breath, and was surprised at how he could get his point across so clearly and eloquently without out messing up his words, well, except for the last part.

Henry stared blankly at John, and John started to run all of the worst possibilities through his head- was it too much at once? Had he in actuality been speaking to fast and Henry heard a bunch of gibberish? Did his father flat-out disagree with everything he had just said? He couldn’t take the suspense he was floating in, the moment of limbo between decision- and it only was a moment, no more than a few seconds.

“Thank you”

John didn’t understand, “What?”.

“Thank you. I may not completely understand right now, but thank you, I don’t intend to sound sappy, but it was eye-opening. Thank you.”, and with that he quietly left the room.

John blinked. And blinked again. Much like the rest of his feelings this afternoon he felt a turbulent mix of confused and shocked and hopeful, and for once relieved. He smiled and grabbed his sketchbook notebook-for-the-time-being and his pencil that was tangled and lost in the lump that was now his comforters. He continued on his essay that would serve dual purpose of supporting Alexander’s essay to help awake his school and to gain a similar interest with Alexander, to find a way to connect and to keep Alexander with him. Detention will end in a matter of days, but he wants to keep Alexander around longer, for his fiery and outspoken spirit, for a fellow lgbtq+ student- even if John isn’t out, and a genuinely good friend. Should that friendship lead to something more… that isn’t up to John right now, and he will relish what he can get, and all of that will start tomorrow.


	4. *Authors Note*

Sorry to disappoint anyone if they were expecting an update do I even have people to disappoint though???? Thats kind of why I'm here. So as you can see I haven't updated in a while because.... I'm being lazy? I'm busy? Overwhelmed? All of the above. I am going to continue this and I always will until it is finished, i will not abandon this, I'm just here to scale the rate at which i should. So if people comment on this saying they are actively reading it and want it to update at a quicker rate, I'll kick it into high gear once school gets out (next week) and crank out a chapter every or every-other week, if not and the comment section is a void, i will move at my own pace to write this which would be more sporadic in updating. As always, have a nice day and I love y'all


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John meets Alex at detention for the second time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM ALIVE. Seriously you can tell how long ago I started this bevause I was still reading Fahrenheit 451 in 8th grade. I'm in 9th grade now. This is short and it ends on a cliffhanger, but I'm back, and I hope to stay back. I've just had a fight with this fic and whether I've wanted to continue it, in short this was originally meant to be a oneshot, I've separated myself from the hamilton fandom, and I've not thought the plot, I've been unhappy with it and my wording here (if you've read my other works you might see the more poetic-ness I write with usually). But I'm not the type to abandon something, especially something I've out out into the world. So I'm continuing it, and I'm going to finish it, when I don't know, but it will happen and this will be written to the best of my ability. I'm rambling but first I'd like to dedicate this chapter to ThinkingofStars, who left an amazing comment, seriously if you ever want to support your fanfic writers this is how: leave wonderful and amazing comments, this chapter is here to show you that there are repercussions to your generosity. As always, i hope you enjoy and please leave a comment and kudos!

A tentative eye was opened in the Laurens household the day after John and his father had their little lesson on a few ins-and-outs of the lgbtq+ community. Currently, the information had its opportunity to see around in Henry’s brain, flow in and out of the crevices that created his mind, let his synapses fire like cylinders on a car. From a general consensus of his surroundings, John could tell everything had settled well. He hoped. 

“At least I know he hasn't kicked me out”, John thought as he noted no note or suitcase hastily thrown onto the floor as his feet softly landed on the plush carpeting his bedroom floor consisted of. He meandered over to the door and stretched his arms into a giant “y”, his face mangled into a yawn. Pausing, John caught a glimpse of the wild bird's nest that was his unruly curls, even when put into a ponytail, a tornado of bedhead always descended upon him-

“Wait.”, John was pulled out of his hazy morning thoughts of possibly trying a new hairbrush when something dawned on him, “Today is the day. TODAY is the day! _Today is the day _”. His essay was to be presented to Alex today, a turmoil of conflicting emotions flooded him. Excitement because he might just catch this boy's attention as being a real contender for friend, or partner in crime, or _boyfriend _. Oh how John loved that word and what it meant, how it tasted on his tongue, the melodious sound it created once released into the air like a wild butterfly. But as much as that excitement whipped him into a sappy lovestruck fool, nervousness boiled in the out of his stomach. Writing an amateur essay was not exactly how one usually goes about seducing another and it was quite outlandish, something pulled from fiction and made to be a catalyst for disaster.____

____John didn't realize how long his hand had been hovering over the doorknob while thoughts flew past unprompted. John relaxed his face into submission, now regaining control to look less blank and off-in-another-universe as to not confuse his father._ _ _ _

____What awaited him was: nothing, his morning dragged by just as any other as he ate breakfast, packed his bag and lunch, got dressed, and headed out to the bus. He was vaguely relieved that no other conversation followed their previous one, considering John didn't consider himself an expert on the subject and was nowhere near an expert at talking._ _ _ _

____After school John headed to detention which was in a different classroom, this time being overseen by a laidback language arts teacher who probably wouldn't care about two school activists getting to know each other. Just as last time John arrived early, before Alex did. In that time he pulled out his sketch book, part for what he had written to help their cause, part for doodling, and his book as another way of time-passing. When Alex arrived he was nose-deep into Fahrenheit 451, but struggling to concentrate on the paragraph he was reading. To put it not-so-eloquently, when he was around Alex, he had no chill. Alex slid into the desk next to him and dropped his bag onto the floor with a thud._ _ _ _

____“Hey Laurens- oh sorry are you trying to read or?”, Alex said quickly letting his mind catch up with his eyes._ _ _ _

____“Um yeah.. err no. I can't really focus so uh it's fine if you want to talk I uh actually I want to show you something”, Laurens stumbled out a reply, slightly caught off guard._ _ _ _

____“ Oh really what is it- oh you draw?”, John was pulling out his sketch book as Alex started to talk and then blushed, no one tends to know about his drawing much less see them, he only had a few friends and he kept his hobby a secret from them, a bit of an escape of you will._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, but that's not what I want to show you right now”, he said, quickly shoving the subject along, “so we- we’re here for the same reason, we support the same cause and, well writing is not my strong suit- hence the sketchbook rather than notebook, but I wanted to try.”, John gathered a sudden burst of courage, but fizzled out into a more sheepish offering new the end. It was true, writing was not his strong suit and that insecurity was seeping through._ _ _ _

____Alex’s eyes scanned the paper-fast and reader and fast writer, makes sense. Here it was the moment of truth, John held his breath in anticipation._ _ _ _

____Impressions can't be made over and the best or the worst was yet to come._ _ _ _


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry y'all!

I've seen this coming for a while but I just can't continue this gig. I don't like it, it was originally meant to be a oneshot, and I just don't like the hamilton fandom at all anymore. I took a step back and saw the problems I have with both the show and the fandom and I just don't enjoy it anymore. So sorry if you liked this (thank you if you do), but I can't do it. I think im going to orphan this and idk how that works but if I do that and you're reading this I still want to be found through this so hello I'm Enjelica come check me out. Anyways bye! Hope it's been awesome! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this and giving me a chance, and again feedback would be lovely. Love you <3 <3 <3


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